


The Morning After the Night Before

by doctoraicha



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, dubcon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 11:57:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1982109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctoraicha/pseuds/doctoraicha
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Merlin wakes up to discover he's had a one night stand. The only problem is that he can't remember any of it."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Morning After the Night Before

Merlin awoke reluctantly, despite the late hour. His bed was spinning, he was sure; there was no way he’d been that drunk. He finally opened his eyes to find that he wasn’t even in _his_ bed. He seemed to be in his roommate’s, and on the nightstand were a glass of water and a couple of paracetemols.

Thank god it was Saturday, and he didn’t actually _have_ to get up. He searched his memory of the previous night; he’d gone out with Elyan and Gwaine to Avalon…. 

And that was it. He’d danced, and drank god knows what, but he had no recollection of how he’d gotten home. He pulled an arm over his eyes. More to the point, he had no idea why the hell he was in Arthur’s bed, when…

 _Shit_. He realized suddenly that he was sticky, and naked, and who the hell had he fucked in Arthur’s fucking bed? He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side.

No one, thank god.

Arthur was going to kill him. But first, he drank the water, swallowed the tablets, and then slinked back to his own bed, hoping Arthur had been… somewhere and didn’t know Merlin had fucked someone in his bed.

Later, when he finally dragged himself to the tiny kitchen to make a cup of tea, Arthur was there, looking at him with some indecipherable look on his face.

“What?” Merlin asked, trying not to look shifty and failing miserably.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. “So, last night?”

Merlin felt himself blush. “I’m really sorry about that, Arthur. I have no idea how that happened.”

Arthur’s brows snapped together and he looked… sad, which was unexpected. Merlin thought Arthur’d be angry, not disappointed in him, and that hurt worse than anything. Arthur was his best mate, had been for years.

“It won’t happen again,” Merlin said.

Then he fled to his room while Arthur shouted “Wait, Merlin, what the fuck?...” behind him.

***

It was Saturday evening before Elyan texted and awakened Merlin for the third time that day.

 

_From: Elyan_

_So, Lance tells me you finally got lucky last night_

 

From Merlin

Apparently. What happened?

 

_From: Elyan_

_Don’t tell me you don’t remember it! You finally kissed him and then you guys left. Assumed you went home and consummated your eternal UST_

From Merlin

Jesus Christ, I kissed LANCE?

 

_From Elyan_

_No, you wanker, I’d kill you on Gwen’s behalf if you tried that._

_From Elyan_

_Arthur, you idiot_

Merlin suddenly had a flash of memory. Arthur had been at the club, much later, and Merlin had sat on his lap and kissed him. He remembered _straddling Arthur_ and then…

 

From Merlin

You have got to be kidding me. What does Lance have to do with it?

 

_From Elyan_

_Arthur called him this morning waxing poetic about your arse_

 

From Merlin

Oh God. I fucked Arthur?

 

From Merlin

Oh, FFS, I don’t even remember getting home!

 

_From Elyan_

_No way, you weren’t even that pissed!_

 

From Merlin

Shit, I thought I’d brought home some wanker and fucked him in Arthur’s bed, and I told him I was sorry and it wouldn’t happen again!

 

_From Elyan_

_Well that explains why he was such a dick at lunch with Leon. For someone who got what he’s been wanting for years, I mean_

From Merlin

Shit, I have to go apologize. Wait, what? Years?

 

_From Elyan_

_Yeah, mate. Both of you. We were thinking of locking you in a closet together, you know?_

 

Merlin had to take several deep breaths before he could be calm enough to walk to the bath. He showered quickly, glad to have the stench of nightclub and stale sex off him at last.

When he finally made it into the kitchen, he found Arthur there, in almost the same position he’d been in that morning. This time, Arthur didn’t meet Merlin’s gaze.

“So,” Arthur said. “Given what happened I think it would be better if I moved out.”

“Because we had sex?”

“I would think it would be obvious, Merlin,” Arthur said, turning away. “It might be pretty awkward for you. It fucking is for me, you thinking it was such a disastrous mistake and all. I’m sure you’ve already heard from Gwen.”

“I don’t know what Gwen has to do with it.”

“I told Lance this morning, before you woke up. Everyone knows. Jesus _fuck_ , Merlin! I confessed my love and I thought… and you told me it was a mistake! Of course I’m moving the hell out. I can’t…. I can’t deal with your pity, either, so just fuck off back to your room and I’ll find someplace as soon as I can. Or I’ll go stay at Leon’s.”

“I didn’t know it was you.”

Arthur looked at him then, his mouth open just a little, and he blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“I woke up in your bed with a massive hangover and I knew I’d been with someone but I didn’t know it was you.”

“You were in _my fucking bed_ , who the hell did you think it was?”

“I just thought I’d brought someone home and wound up in the wrong bed. I was really, really drunk. And in my defense you were'nt there!”

Arthur just stared. “That’s… that’s even worse. I took advantage of you,” he said, woodenly.

Merlin shrugged. “I wouldn’t have said so.”

“El said you’d only had three drinks!”

“I think it was more like four or five, and I didn’t really eat enough on Friday, so.” Merlin waved a hand. “Anyway it’s not as if I’d have kissed you sober.”

Arthur blanched. “God, I’m so sorry, Merlin. I… I fucking assaulted you.”

“No, wait! That’s not what I meant. I just meant I wouldn’t have had the courage. If you must know I’ve fancied you for ages. Years, even. Everyone knew.”

Arthur looked shaken. “Still…”

Merlin steeled himself to make the confession he should have made years ago, if what Elyan said was true. Nothing could be worse than leaving it unsaid, so he took a deep breath, and said, “No, Arthur. I’ve wanted to be in your bed rather than mine since we moved in here. The only reason I wasn’t is… well. I thought you didn’t want me.”

“Not want you? _Mer_ lin.” Arthur smiled then, that little private smile Merlin liked to think was his alone.

Merlin closed the distance between him and took Arthur’s face in his hands. “You prat,” he said, and kissed him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> This work fulfills the prompt in the summary. The prompt was found at http://merlin-writers.livejournal.com/136169.html, and the fic was originally posted there.


End file.
